Julian Assange’s celebrity backers face losing the £240,000 they promised to
guarantee his bail after he sought political asylum at the Ecuadorean
embassy in London.

The founder of the WikiLeaks whistle-blowing website, who is fighting extradition to Sweden for questioning over alleged sex crimes, surprised his high-profile backers by holing up inside the Knightsbridge office on Tuesday evening.

It meant he breached his strict bail conditions and so a court may rule that those who put up security money and sureties, including Jemima Khan, Ken Loach and Michael Moore, must forfeit the money their either paid or promised.

But his supporters defended his actions and likened him to the blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who was hailed a hero after escaping house arrest to take refuge in an American embassy. Mr Assange, a 40 year-old Australian, fears he will be extradited to America from Sweden because of his role in leaking thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables and military files.

He made the dramatic move just days after Britain’s highest court, the Supreme Court, refused to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden, although he could still take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Ms Khan, the daughter of the billionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith and the former wife of the Pakistani cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, admitted on Twitter she had contributed to his bail funds and said: “I had expected him to face the allegations. I am as surprised as anyone by this.”

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Vaughan Smith, a journalist who put up £20,000 and let Mr Assange stay at his country mansion in Norfolk, said: “I'm shocked, I hadn't suspected it at all. He stayed with me for 13 months and this was never discussed, so I'm certainly surprised.

"I'm obviously troubled I might lose the £20,000. It's a considerable sum and I don't think there are many people who could afford to lose that amount of money. It's a balance between Julian's interests and my family's interests, but at least my family aren't facing extradition or a life sentence, so I feel that now is not the time to abandon Julian as a friend.

“The thing that concerns me most is that Julian has become a Western dissident and maybe we need to reflect on whether our society is as tolerant as we think it is.”

Tariq Ali, the left-wing activist, said Mr Assange’s attempt to seek asylum “could be a good move unless the vassal state that is Britain sends in the paras”.

Mr Ali went on: “A Chinese dissident becomes a Western folk hero for reaching the US Embassy in Beijing. But a western dissident will be treated as a hostile for reaching a South American embassy. Think of the double standards.”

Philip Knightley, an Australian journalist who promised to pay £20,000 if his friend breached his bail terms, told the BBC: "He did email me to say something like this might happen. He sort of apologised and said 'don't worry, it will work out in the end'."

Michael Moore, the film-maker who is also believed to have put up bail money, wrote online: “Any and all allegations of sexual abuse by anyone and to anyone must be treated very seriously, and Mr Assange should cooperate with the inquiry.

“But it appears that Sweden has little interest in these charges - what they really want is the ability to extradite Assange to America. And that, simply, must not happen.”

Other backers including Ken Loach, the film-maker; John Pilger, the journalist; and Felix Dennis, the publisher, did not respond to requests for comment.

After arriving at the Ecuadorean embassy in Knightsbridge on Tuesday evening and spending the night there, Mr Assange breached the bail conditions imposed on him by the High Court, which require him to stay at a specified address between 10pm and 8am.

The Metropolitan Police said: “He is now subject to arrest under the Bail Act for breach of these conditions.”

On Wednesday morning, Mr Assange’s friend Gavin Macfadyen visited him and said afterwards: “He is fine - he is in very good humour and very grateful for the hospitality of the embassy which has been very generous and welcoming.”

Later in the afternoon, it emerged that embassy officials had discussed their unexpected guest with the British Government.

Anna Alban, the Ecuadorian ambassador, said in a statement: “This morning I had a meeting with representatives of the British Government at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss the application of Mr Julian Assange for diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum. The discussions were cordial and constructive.

“I welcome the statement from the UK Government last night in which they stated that they (the UK Government) would work with the Ecuadorian government to find a resolution.

“I also took the opportunity to explain that the decision on Mr Assange's application would be assessed by the department of foreign affairs in Quito and would take into account Ecuador's long and well-established tradition in supporting human rights.

“I also emphasised to the UK Government that it was not the intention of the Ecuadorian government to interfere with the processes of either the UK or Swedish governments.”

If Mr Assange left the embassy he would be arrested, then put up before magistrates who may decide to confiscate the £240,000 surety provided by his backers.

But while he remains inside he is “beyond the reach” of the authorities.

It remained unclear if he wanted to move to Ecuador – which has a long-standing extradition treaty with the US – or remain in its London outpost.

Meanwhile Claes Borgström, the lawyer for the two women who have accused Mr Assange of rape and sexual assault in Stockholm in August 2010, said the latest twist in the case was a “tragedy” for the alleged victims.